The new Black

My favourite bit of the Lord Black verdict is the roll that the 'little people' have played in it.

Black refused to testify in the trial and had issued fire and brimstone statements against those who had made accusations against him. This may well have been a crucial factor in his conviction of the most serious offence, obstruction of justice.

Black had been ordered not to remove any papers from his Torono office yet the next day he was caught on CCTV loading up his luxury car, assisted by his chauffeur, with containers packed full of paperwork. This caught the eye of the security guard who had never seen Black carry a box before. Classic. It was obviously dodgy because the boss was actually working.

It reminds me of when I was working for the NHS and staff realised that an inspection of the hospital's cleanliness was due because a manager was spotted carrying a mop. There was only one possible explanation, and low and behold the next day the inspectors turned up.

Of course in the NHS the crucial star rating inspections usually cause far more disruption. The last one I remember was for an A and E department where nurses were moved from other wards and for a few days the hopsital had a fully functioning emergency ward (at the expense of the other deptartments), if anything it was over staffed. Once the inspectors had gone it all reverted back to normal.

Unfortunately this kind of dishonesty never gets punished - but still - one down, one hundred thousand to go.